Abstract
Exosome-derived microRNA (miRNA) has been the focus of attention in recent years. Mainly, their role in the pathogenesis of different types of cancer has been extensively studied. The different types of exosomal miRNAs (exomiRs) act as either oncogenes or oncosupressors. They have potential prognostic and diagnostic efficacy in different types of cancer due to their high stability and easy detection in bodily fluids. This is especially true in lung cancer, colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. However, their efficacy as potential therapies has not been widely investigated. This review will discuss the structure and functions of exosomes and miRNA, as well as the role of exomiRs in the pathogenesis of different types of cancer through boosting growth, promoting progression, chemotherapy resistance, angiogenesis, metastasis, and immune system evasion. We will also discuss the application of exomiRs in diagnosing different types of cancer and their role in prognosis. Furthermore, we shed light on the challenges of developing therapeutic agents using miRNAs and how the carriage of therapeutic miRNA by exosomes can help solve these challenges. Finally, we examine recent studies exploring the potential of exomiRs in treating cancers such as neuroblastoma, glioblastoma, and melanoma.
Highlights
BackgroundIn 2015, cancer was the second leading cause of mortality in the United States, with about 13% of deaths resulting from cancer worldwide
They act as tumor suppressors and oncogenes, for which they have been studied as promising cancer diagnostics and therapeutics [4,5]
Exosomes can be used in genetic therapy by delivering therapeutic genetic agents to target cells in specific disorders [98,99]
Summary
In 2015, cancer was the second leading cause of mortality in the United States, with about 13% of deaths resulting from cancer worldwide. Several studies have proved exomiRs to be a potential therapeutic strategy for human cancer as they have significant roles in many cellular processes as well as strong stability, secretion into all biological fluids, and tissue-specific expression [91,92,93,94]. Some exomiRs can be deemed potential candidates to inhibit tumor growth by specific gene knockdown as exosomes can be used as nanovectors, which can deliver targeted anticancer drugs with low immunogenicity and toxicity compared to other drug-delivery systems [100,101]. Another study supported exomiR as a promising therapy in lung cancer as it demonstrated that exosome-derived miR-302b could significantly suppress lung cancer cell proliferation and migration via the transforming growth factor-beta receptor II/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase pathway [105]. Many clinical trials are ongoing regarding the use of exosome-based cancer therapy, to implement the use of exosomes clinically as cancer therapy, further research and validation are needed
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